Why did God slay so many in the old testament?

Gary O'

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I've been approached with this question many times.
'Why did your god of love kill so many people in the old testament?'

I've never been able to come up with a satisfactory reply.
The only thing I could cough up is 'to get their attention'.

Need a little help here....
 
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Halbhh

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Best really is to read to find out. Really. If I just told you why, how would you know it's correct?
So when you read for yourself passages like

Genesis 6:5-11
But use the NIV

You can see and be sure.

Now is a good time.
 
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Gary O'

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Best really is to read to find out. Really. If I just told you why, how would you know it's correct?
Yeah, the flood is an obvious one.
Guess I'm talking more about all the wars, and the Israelites slaying everyone.
David was pretty big on it.
 
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Sketcher

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Ivan Hlavanda

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It's right for God to slaughter people any time He pleases. God gives life and He takes it away. Life is in God's hands. God decides when your last heart beat will be and whether it's by natural causes, murder etc. Whether you are 1 day old, 10 years old or 100 years old.

God owns us nothing. If you are killed today, He will do no wrong to you. We might not understand it, but God governs, His will is done and you cannot change it.

Maybe someone says it's harsh, but...we are all sinners and we all deserved to die yesterday and go to hell. Many argue that they don't deserve hell, they haven't killed, they didn't harm anyone, yes they done some small sins but they are not worthy of hell. But that is our point of view not God's, because even the smallest sin is deadly, even the smallest sin is telling to Creator, I know better than you, you are wrong. It is elevation above God. Whoever sins makes them self saying 'I am better than you God, I am above you'

We cannot expect sinners to understand this, but it is truth. Therefore shows sinners the mercy of God.
When Adam and Eva sinned they should have died there and then and with them the whole humanity. But God interfered and promised a Messiah. He is the Creator, everything was created for Him, and if He wishes, He could destroy the creation any time He pleases. And creation rebelled against God, yet how many times God showed His love for the fallen and kept the Messianic line? How many evil things we done? To the point God regretted creating us, because none were righteous and none are. No one seeks God, no one repents, everyone just does evil, yet He still creates live, brings the sun up, sends rain, gives nutritious soil. Everything good that ever happens to us is God's grace. We deserve nothing. What do we deserve? Does God owe us anything?

Look at Exodus. God did numerous miracles, for Egyptians to let the Hebrews go, He split the sea for them yet the Hebrews complained. Moses went to the mountain and they build them self a golden cow, and yet God didn't slaughter them all. He sent them food from Heaven, water from a rock, but the Hebrews still wanted to go back to Egypt. Yet God forgave. He even paid for our sins and He only asks for faith and love.

Despite our evil, He gave up His glory in Heaven, came down to Earth and served us, healed us, did good to us, and what do we do? Spit on Him, laugh at Him, beat Him, crucify Him. Jesus on the cross suffered all the pain at once, yet He asked His Father to forgive us.

The Old Testament is full of our rebellion, to the point I am asking God 'why do you even bother with us, just destroy us and be done with sin' yet OT is full of God mercies and love. Despite all we done He still shows His love.

Tell that to people, because the OT is full of our rebellion yet God is full of goodness. Remember, everything good that happens is from God, we do nothing to deserve even the smallest good thing. But as is love is true, He is rightful judge also, and no sin will go unpunished, so unless you repent and now down to Jesus, one day you and your sins will have to face God. And if you rejected God your whole life, He will reject you also.
 
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eleos1954

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Yeah, the flood is an obvious one.
Guess I'm talking more about all the wars, and the Israelites slaying everyone.
David was pretty big on it.

Divine wars were for a limited time and for specific purposes; God was patient and loving and gave ample opportunities for people to repent. Commands for divine war in the Old Testament were not intended to wipe out entire people groups; it was about God's judgment on false religions ... and some of them were very diabolic in their "religious practices", such as sacrificing their children to demons etc. ie Canaanites.

satan uses people (for ultimate evil) ... God uses people (for ultimate good) .... we are on a battlefield .... I will be so glad when Jesus returns and ends this mess for eternity! AMEN!
 
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Gary O'

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The answer I'm content with is: They had it coming.

It is a bit of a harder sell to the people who ask though.
I'm there with you, brother.
Thank you for that.

Here's the deal;
I'm in close communication with a non-believer.
He's suffering some pretty heavy medical issues.
Wants to end it.
We really like each other, mainly because we don't blather.
We speak our minds.
I've been sending him things, wonderful things, biblical things.
He says he loved me for trying, but he ain't buying into any of it.
His one argument is God's mass slayings.....a god of love.

I'm looking for answers, not dogmatic statements.
 
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Gary O'

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Divine wars were for a limited time and for specific purposes; God was patient and loving and gave ample opportunities for people to repent. Commands for divine war in the Old Testament were not intended to wipe out entire people groups; it was about God's judgment on false religions ... and some of them were very diabolic in their "religious practices", such as sacrificing their children to demons etc. ie Canaanites.

satan uses people (for ultimate evil) ... God uses people (for ultimate good) .... we are on a battlefield .... I will be so glad when Jesus returns and ends this mess for eternity! AMEN!
Thank you so much for that nugget, @eleos1954
 
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HIM

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The wages of sin is death. Jesus said let the dead bury the dead. So That which is dead can not be killed
I'm there with you, brother.
Thank you for that.

Here's the deal;
I'm in close communication with a non-believer.
He's suffering some pretty heavy medical issues.
Wants to end it.
We really like each other, mainly because we don't blather.
We speak our minds.
I've been sending him things, wonderful things, biblical things.
He says he loved me for trying, but he ain't buying into any of it.
His one argument is God's mass slayings.....a god of love.

I'm looking for answers, not dogmatic statements.
I feel for your friend and what you must be going through. Prayers
However Anything spiritual will seem dogmatic to the unspiritual. The fact that you glossed over the last post posted by me speaks. Another dogmatic answer would be our lives our not our own. So what is it to us if He that made us would snuff us out. We are His to do with as He pleases.
 
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HIM

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I feel for your friend and what you must be going through. Prayers
However Anything spiritual will seem dogmatic to the unspiritual. The fact that you glossed over the last post posted by me speaks. Another dogmatic answer would be our lives our not our own. So what is it to us if He that made us would snuff us out. We are His to do with as He pleases.
And yetanother dogmatic response would be for those whom are clinging on to life, a God guided existence he snuffed out those whom want nothing to do with it and would hinder His plans to bring them to salvation.
 
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HIM

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The wages of sin is death. Jesus said let the dead bury the dead. So That which is dead can not be killed

I'm there with you, brother.
Thank you for that.

Here's the deal;
I'm in close communication with a non-believer.
He's suffering some pretty heavy medical issues.
Wants to end it.
We really like each other, mainly because we don't blather.
We speak our minds.
I've been sending him things, wonderful things, biblical things.
He says he loved me for trying, but he ain't buying into any of it.
His one argument is God's mass slayings.....a god of love.

I'm looking for answers, not dogmatic statements.

Yeah, I'll tell him that one
Here is another dogmatic response you can not tell him. Everything had to play out as it did in the old testament in order for the prophecies to be fulfilled in respect to Christ and also for you and I and everyone else to be sitting here today with Breath in-us
 
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dqhall

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I've been approached with this question many times.
'Why did your god of love kill so many people in the old testament?'

I've never been able to come up with a satisfactory reply.
The only thing I could cough up is 'to get their attention'.

Need a little help here....
Jeremiah was against the King of Judah going to battle against the King of Babylon. Jeremiah advised surrender (Jeremiah 21:9). Jeremiah was arrested for prophesying the defeat of Judah. King Zedekiah fought the King of Babylon. The King of Babylon did terrible damage to the Judeans defeating all their cities. If the King of Judah had listened to Jeremiah’s prophecy, many lives would have been spared. The King of Babylon burned Jerusalem and blinded Zedekiah. Zedekiah died in a Babylonian prison.

God did not kill Judah. Jeremiah had asked them to repent of their sins, then later advised they surrender. Judah wanted to fight a mighty army. They brought death upon themselves. Jeremiah and some of the poor of the land were allowed to remain in Judah and not sent as captives to Babylon.
 
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